O-RAN Alliance announces new specifications, MWC LA demonstrations

The O-RAN Alliance, a global community of more than 300 companies operating in the Radio Access Network (RAN) industry, has released another set of technical specifications for Open RAN. In addition to the nine technical specifications outline below, another 39 technical documents have been established to extend and add features to the existing specifications.

Initial versions of the new nine technical specifications comprise:

1. O-RAN Non-Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) Architecture
2. Near-Real-Time RIC and E2 Interface: Use Cases and Requirements v1.0
3. O-RAN E2 Service Model: RAN Control (E2SM-RC) v1.0
4. O-RAN O1 Interface specification for O-CU-UP and O-CU-CP towards the Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework
5. O-RAN Acceleration Abstraction Layer FEC Profiles
6. Infrastructure management services of the O2 interface
7. O-Cloud Notification API Specification for Event Consumers
8. O-RAN Xhaul Transport Testing Specification
9. O-RAN Security Requirements Specifications

Mobile World Congress LA (MWC LA) is right around the corner, and according to the O-RAN Alliance, attendees, both those in-person and online, can expect 18 demonstrations of O-RAN technology.

Just to name a few: Parallel Wireless will demonstrate its Open RAN, ALL G – 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G O-RAN-compliant software platform. Northeastern University will showcase how Colosseum, a wireless emulator with 256 programmable software radios, can be used to instantiate a fully programmable end-to-end network controlled by O-RAN-compliant near-real-time RIC, collect performance datasets from the RAN and implement AI-based control of the RAN through xApps and programmable software stacks.

Other companies expected to bring Open RAN solutions and concepts to LA are Dell Technologies, VIAVI, Rohde & Schwarz, VMware, Keysight Technologies and Juniper Networks.

In related news, the Alliance also announced the third O-RAN Alliance Global Plugfest with 77 companies at seven venues. In progress since summer 2021, participating companies are performing testing, integration or proofs of concept around the world, with technical work planned to continue until next month.